Tears.

Last weekend Paulo was busy catching waves and I was busy reading through my rough draft.  I have now read the entire thing.  There are markings on each and every page, lots of things crossed out and little editing carrots popping up here and there, adding more or rewording phrases that needed an adjustment.  At some points you will see big marks saying "SHOW NOT TELL!!!" and at other times you will find stars denoting something I really, really liked.  Three stars, that's the most any passage has, but those passages deserve it.

As I was almost finished, on the second to last page, there was a little phrase, something that was surrounded by quotation marks and seemed so small on the page, but made a lump jump into my throat.  I cannot tell if I almost cried because the emotion was brought out by my writing or if my writing merely reminded me of an emotion that was at one point all to real, but either way, it happened.  Tears were brought to my eyes. 

I read it later to Paulo (at the risk of getting car sick on the windy road away from from the beach and back towards home) and he said he could see the picture playing out in his mind and it was beautiful.  Once again, I ask is this from my writing itself or is is merely my writing is bringing to his mind all the stories he has heard a million times? 

Well, I don't know, and I won't know until others read it.  There is a lot of changing that needs to take place before that happens, questions that need to be answered, some that need to be asked so the answer makes sense... but in the end, I can honestly say that I have something very solid to build upon.  Soon I will be finished, soon this will be in the hands of others.  Will they have a tear threaten to fall as well when Jenny cups her little hands around mine and asks about the sea glass?  I hope so.

 (Watercolor world found at weheartit.com, words added by me)